Melbourne = coffee

I've just got back from a week in Melbourne for a conference.  Even though most of my time was spent inside a conference centre I did get out a bit to catch up with family, friends and have a coffee or 3 in typical Melbourne locations including the ubiquitous early morning take away on the tram.

Not much happening...

but summer has finally arrived properly (despite snow showers on the southern alps on Thursday) and the sailing is great.

Finished

The stone carvers have finished working and this week the results of all that noise and dust are on display.  This...

now looks like this.

and here are a couple more of the pieces.  They go up for auction next Saturday - no I won't be bidding on the fish.

Starting well

After 12 months of planning and preparation I am finally following through on one of last year's resolutions and in passing practicing my Maori

 and when you do pikia nga arapiki you discover all sorts of things...like this!

An afternoon of art

It finally stopped raining yesterday so I walked into town along the walkway.  First stop was a new piece of public art that has gone up at the marina end.

If you know the places/cultural references then they are all pointing in the right direction.  As well as being art they are made with genuine road sign material so they reflect at night and will last for ages.  Then I headed in to town to visit the stone carvers who are back for their biannual (every 2 years) symposium.  I don't know what they did while it was raining but by the looks of the gazebos that were up, most of them kept going.

The last stop was Govett Brewster to see their latest exhibition (sorry, no photos allowed) then home, picking up a hokey pokey ice cream on the way.

Breaking(ish) news

The blue line between international and domestic has had a makeover.  It's gone green and now takes a 'short cut' through a carpark.  I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, I did kinda like the blue and it definitely stood out more.

Traditional and not so much

We are doing our Advent calender at work again but this time going the other way around the building.  That means that my windows are being graced by pictures for the 20th and 21st, one traditionally Christmassy, the other not so much.